Catherine, Princess of Wales, in Purple, Is a Wimbledon Winner

Carlos Alcaraz may have won the men’s Wimbledon final in relatively short order, Barbora Krejcikova may have surprised everyone by taking home the woman’s trophy, and Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaaramay have survived a tiebreaker to claim an upset victory, but the off-court champion of the tournament was unquestionably Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Making only her second public appearance since revealing her cancer diagnosis and treatment earlier this year, and her first solo appearance, the princess arrived on Sunday, the final day of the event, to assume her role as the royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, dressed in royal — and Wimbledon tennis club — purple.

Coincidence? Doubtful. She was on center court, after all. The princess has long understood her role as a symbol of continuity and the future of the royal family, and she dresses for it. Her illness and subsequent retreat from public view, and the relatively small drip of information about her condition, have only heightened the import of each step back into the spotlight. She would know the image would be picked over, disseminated and analyzed for any clue to her prognosis.

This is particularly true at Wimbledon, where what the attendees wear is given almost as much attention as what happens in the games. See, for example, Zendaya, who modeled Ralph Lauren jackets and ties to both finals, and Margot Robbie, who unveiled her take on pregnancy fashion in polka-dot Alaïa.

To that end, Catherine’s dress, a graceful midi-length crepe style by Safiyaa that looked to be a version of the label’s Cecilia style, only appeared simple.

But no choice in such a freighted moment is unconsidered. And Safiyaa, one of Catherine’s go-to labels, is a female-founded British brand that makes all its products to order, in part to avoid the issue of overstock. (See the alignment with the Prince and Princess of Wales’s sustainability efforts, which include Catherine’s very public shopping of her own closet.) She last wore a caped look from Safiyaa to the Royal Variety Performance in December, before stepping back from the public eye.